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Steens Mountain Tour

Bikepacking Route / Burns, Oregon / Published: Sep 2018 / Directions
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Steens Mountain Tour / August 2018.
Awesome descent near mile 37 on Steens Hwy 78 / August 2018.
Gate to Ten Cent Lake - please close after opening / August 2018.
Dry camp view from Ten Cent Lake / August 2018.
Camp site west of Ten Cent Lake / August 2018.
Fields Denio Road / August 2018.
Fields Denio Road - this is good gravel! / August 2018.
Fields Denio Road / August 2018.
Andrews, Oregon / August 2018.
Alvord Desert / August 2018.
A store, a diner, a bar, a camp site, and a post office / August 2018.
Bike camping behind the Fields Station / August 2018.
When windy, dodge the falling apples - pack them for energy - ready to eat in September / August 2018.
Fields Station breakfast / August 2018.
Sack lunches / August 2018.
Sandwich for the sack / August 2018.
Harney County is the least populated county in the continental United States / August 2018.
A considerable climb on Day 3 with little warm up / August 2018.
Abandoned sights are common / August 2018.
Welcome to French Glen! / August 2018.
Historic hotel / August 2018.
Ascent on good gravel / August 2018.
Glacially carved Kiger Gorge / August 2018.
Kiger Gorge to the summit / August 2018.
Riding the Steens Loop Road to the summit brings you up the highest road in Oregon. It’s surprisingly lonely / August 2018.
Alvord overlook! / August 2018.
The evergreen curl leaf mountain mahogany is common on Steens Mountain / August 2018.
A rewarding descent on The Loop Road / August 2018.
The Loop Road, south side descent with an incredible view / August 2018.
A view into the kitchen from the dining room at the French Glen Hotel / August 2018.
Family style dining at the French Glen Hotel / August 2018.
No shortage of breakfast calories at the Frenchglen Hotel / August 2018.
Typical bikepacking configuration / August 2018.
French's round barn / August 2018.
Last bit of gravel / August 2018.
Ready to soak at Crystal Crane after five days of fun! / August 2018.
*
Route:
Loop | 281 mi
*
Gain:
13,600 ft
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Surface:
35% gravel, 65% paved
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Technical Difficulty:
Demanding
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Navigation:
Straightforward
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Locale:
Remote
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Tire Suggestion:
40+ mm
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Options:
---

A desolate expanse of pale alkali lake-bed is an unlikely place to order burgers. But there we were, six hungry cyclists on a gravel road on the Alvord Desert, no one else in sight, passing a cell phone from one cyclist to the next.

Stopped on this road with barren peaks soaring alongside us, our minds were in a good place. We had nearly completed the second day of our five-day cycling journey around Steens Mountain. Now we had less than ten miles to go to reach Fields Station, a lonely outpost offering supplies.

With few reliable water sources, our mostly gravel route had passed the Andrews School House, where John Simpkins, the only resident in Andrews, had welcomed us and allowed us to fill our water bottles. John had converted the schoolhouse into an art studio, and it was his advice – If they say they stop taking orders by 3:30, then expect just that – that had us putting in our order before the Fields Station grill closed.

It’s the rugged terrain, he said, The rugged terrain changes people.

Map
Brown = gravel / dirt road
Blue = single track
Red = paved road
Purple = paved bike path
Days

Day 0

Drive to Crystal Crane Hot Springs. Each tent location has access to the beautiful high desert views and individual fire pit. Showers, restroom, camp kitchen, and commons area just a short walk away.

  • Lodging / Camping: Crystal Crane Hot Springs. Contact them for vehicle storage. They charged $5 per car per night.

Day 1: Crane to Ten Cent Lake

GPX file

A shorter day with the opportunity for all bike packers to adjust and tune their gear.

  • Water: None.
  • Breakfast: Crane Store and Cafe. The Cafe is open 7a-7p at this time. Contact them in advance to make sack lunches.
  • Lunch: Packed from Crane Store and Cafe
  • Dinner: Self supplied.
  • Camping: All around the lake is BLM. Cannot camp east of the road. Dispersed Camping rules: (a) Choose sites that are already established (b) Use existing fire rings. (c) Dispose of human waste properly (away from water and in a 6” or deeper hole). Call Burns District Office 541-573-4400 to verify dispersed camping rules and fire conditions.

Day 2: Ten Cent Lake to Fields

GPX file

Pavement ends at mile 4 and picks back up again at mile 45. Expect amazing views. To the east is the Alvord Desert, used by wind-driven sail car enthusiasts. Pass Alvord Hot Springs (mile 35, $5 for gallon of water, $8 to soak).

  • Water: mile 42 at Andrews School. Contact artist John Simpkins. He is hospitable to cyclists and can be found on Facebook to arrange for water.
  • Breakfast: self-supplied
  • Lunch: self-supplied
  • Dinner: Fields Station. The grill closes at 4:00p and the cafe stops taking orders at 3:30p. Call in orders at 541-495-2275 to beat the closing time. They are punctual. “Because we’re really in the middle of nowhere, Fields Station has a bit of everything. We have a store, a café, a hotel, gas, liquor and a post office. We’re most popular for our burgers and shakes. Our milkshakes are so good because we don’t use any milk.”
  • Lodging / Camping. Shaded bike tent area is on the left, south of the Fields Station. They have also let cyclists pitch tents behind the store. No charge for camping. Vaulted toilets and a frost free hydrant by the shade tree in the center available for campers. Call for a limited supply of motel rooms.

Day 3: Fields to Frenchglen

GPX file

A morning wake up to a climb after little warm up summiting in 7 miles, after which it is nice, paved, ride into Frenchglen. Roaring Springs is on the way, named after the peculiar noise made by the seeping waters you hear as you ride by.

  • Water: mile 37 at Roaring Springs Ranch / Airport. Andrew at 541.495.2263 has been kind to cyclists letting them get some water and rest in the shade.
  • Breakfast: at The Fields Station, starting at 8 am. They can make a sack lunches.
  • Lunch: sack lunch from Fields Station.
  • Dinner: 6:30 pm, family style.
  • Lodging / Camping at the Frenchglen Hotel. Small bike tents for cyclists can go on grass behind the hotel. They can make a sack lunch. BLM’s Page Springs Campground is an alternative.

Day 4: Frenchglen to Frenchglen via the Loop Road

GPX file

With bike packs left behind, take a light-weight ride up and into the Steens. Summit the peak after a 17 mile climb, and then back downhill, with pavement picking up again by mile 60. Take in views several of the area’s almost perfect examples of glaciated U-valleys, including the breathtaking Kiger Gorge.

Beginning in Frenchglen, the Loop Road has something to offer for all abilities, from out-and-back rides up to Fish Lake and Jackman Park, to viewing the textbook U-shape glaciated Kiger Gorge, and to my favorite the East Rim Overlook. The full loop is a long day of serious gravel cycling with more than 7500 ft in elevation gain. An early start is recommended, and for us that meant sharing the road with surprised deer. The payback for the many miles of climbing is the steep downhill back to Frenchglen. Road apple hinted at another reward with wild horses appearing on the downside.

Captain “O”, Gravel Girl and many from the Dirty Freehub Team did this as a one-day ride in July of 2018. Click here for their route description.

  • Water
    • mile 17 at Fish Lake Campground. Water is a ways in.
    • mile 19 at Jackman Park Campground. Quick access with the pump close to the road.
    • mile 42 at South Steens Campground. Good water.
  • Breakfast: Frenchglen Hotel starts at 7:30 am. A dry breakfast and lunch from the Mercantile Store for an early departure works well depending on your goals.
  • Lunch: packed from the Frenchglen Hotel or the general store.
  • Dinner: Family style diner at 6:30 pm
  • Lodging / Camping at the Frenchglen Hotel. Small bike tents for cyclists can go on grass behind the hotel. They can make a sack lunch. BLM’s Page Springs Campground is an alternative.

Day 5: Frenchglen to Crane

GPX file

Not quite a recovery ride, but easier, all paved, a day after the toughest. Pass by Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the Diamond Craters volcanic field, and French’s Round Barn, constructed in the 1870s, where 300 – 1000 horses were tamed annually.

  • Water: mile 34.5 at French’s Round Barn convenience store
  • Breakfast: 7:30 am at the Frenchglen Hotel.
  • Lunch: packed from Frenchglen.
Notes & Options

Route Notes

  1. Hazards

    • Ticks, mosquitoes (Frenchglen area), and rattlesnakes in spring and summer.
    • Goat’s Head (Tribulus Terrestris). Also known as puncturevine: limited distribution in The Steens. None observed.
  2. Road Conditions
    Contact John Eden (john.w.eden@odot.state.or.us, ODOT District 14 Access, 541-823-4016) for OR78 & OR205. For info on Diamond Lane, Diamond Crater Road, and Fields Denio, contact the Debbie Cronin (debbie.cronin@co.harney.or.us, Harney County Road Master’s Office, Burns, 541-573-6232).

Comments

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5 months ago2/24/2025
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James Winkler
Anyone interested in this tour beginning 3/22 or 3/23? 

Email: bikesandhikes503@gmail.com
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5 months ago2/25/2025
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Administrator
KevinE / Team Dirty Freehub
The loop will be rideable in March. The ride to the summit of Steens Mountain will not be. 

If you are looking for riders, I would recommend making a post to the Facebook group "Riding Oregon Gravel". Best!
12 months ago7/18/2024
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Administrator
Linda English

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3 years ago7/2/2023
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Gravel Girl // Dirty Freehub
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4 years ago3/28/2022
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Alanschacter
Can the Loop road be ridden even if it’s closed to cars?? We are thinking about going out there the 1st week in May? Any input would be appreciated. We will be camping in a van.
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4 years ago3/28/2022
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Administrator
Kevin / Team Dirty Freehub
Yes, you can give it a go even in closed to cars. You can also check with the Malhuer National Forest office out of Burns. Several years ago, I gave it a try when closed to cars. I ran into very soft and muddy roads. Turned around. Again this was several years ago, not the winter we had this year. Another option is to use Gaia and check the snow levels with the paid app. Enjoy!
4 years ago3/7/2022
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mikebixes
I am wondering if anyone has ridden this on a e-bike and can speak to how to go about charging your bike overnight. Do you offer to pay the lodging more to charge a bike? I would be camping to save money on rooms. Thanks for any information on this.
5 years ago10/13/2020
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Hugh Jwankor
9-29-2020, FYI, I did the 71 mile "day 4" ride up to the summit of Steens Mountain. The descent road, Dust Bowl Willow Springs Road, is mostly very very bad washboard. I would not recommend this at all. Also, overall, too many people driving too fast on the uphill portion too. Lots of dust.
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5 years ago11/16/2020
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Kevin / Co-Founder @ Dirty Freehub
Hugh - just looking through comments. Thanks for posting!

The times that I have found the Steens Mountain road to be the best are just after it opens. Each year they grade the road before opening, but it appears that this year they did not (maybe due to COVID-19). Again, thanks for posting!!
5 years ago10/13/2020
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Ben Groeneveld
We've noticed many of the roads busier than usual suggesting the pandemic has brought a lot of folks out. Riding earlier in the season helps avoid people and dust. I found the route isolated and spectacular and challenging in a rewarding way. As with much gravel your mileage will vary with seasons and weather and grading, and this particular day of the tour - the full loop - is not for everyone.
5 years ago10/13/2020
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hugh
oops, downhill was called Steens mountain road.
7 years ago1/19/2019
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dakotag
Thanks for nailing down the details so well. I've had this one on my list for awhile as a long-term plan. Time to make it happen this summer!
1
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4 years ago3/28/2022
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Gravel Girl
It’s a great route. Steens are fantastic!

Ridden and Reviewed by:

BenG

BenG / Team Dirty Freehub (Alum)

Ben was the first bike-packing guru at Dirty Freehub, publishing multi-day routes that he curated. He is also the creator and developer of the Bend Shorts series. (2018 – 2022)

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